


Ghosts in the Walls

by ASharksReadingGlasses



Series: Ghost in the NYC [10]
Category: Danny Phantom, Deadpool - All Media Types, Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel Universe - Fandom, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AI Theory, Curious Tony Stark, Danny has Eye Shine, Danny the Prank Master, Eye Shine, Family Dynamics, Found Family, Friday is a sassy Irish lass, Gen, Ghost Theory, Hijinks & Shenanigans, I reject canon and substitute my own, M/M, Mischievous Danny, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Philosophy, Sci-Fi, Swearing, Tapetum Lucidum, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony loves his AI's okay, Tony's retired, tony stark is a nerd, what makes us human?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28752897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASharksReadingGlasses/pseuds/ASharksReadingGlasses
Summary: Danny decides to use Wade's tactic of distraction to keep his mind off his parents. Things get a little crazy when he chooses to try and haunt Tony Stark for a few hours, and ends up meeting FRIDAY instead.(Peter is starting to to realize he may be in over his head)
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Peter Parker, Danny Fenton & Wade Wilson, Friday & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson
Series: Ghost in the NYC [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045206
Comments: 122
Kudos: 730





	Ghosts in the Walls

**Author's Note:**

> Made is collaboration with [Stove](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/the-stove-is-on-fire), and based on their one page [comic](https://the-stove-is-on-fire.tumblr.com/post/638158728698413056/spider-man-handing-danny-a-gopro-hmmmmm-sounds).
> 
> So in terms of where we are in the timeline for the Marvel Universe: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ It's honestly up to you guys. You want it before Endgame? Valid. You want Tony to some how survive? Fine with me. Endgame, don't know her? Accepted, moving on.
> 
> In other news: let the shenanigans begin :)

The next morning, Peter watched with incredulous fondness from the hallway as Danny played - or as he insisted, trained - with Fido in the ghost hammock, keeping an eye out if Danny's powers shorted out again. Danny was in his Phantom form with a new ectoplasm capsule around his neck, and laying on his side with one arm and his ghost tail hanging over the edge. He would wave his glowing fingers around under the hammock and Fido would trail after them, following them wherever they went. Sometimes Danny would turn his hand intangible and lead Fido through the hammock, and Fido would try to follow it with varying amounts of success. Sometimes Danny would form an ectoshield around his hand and Fido would try to break it in various ways. Whenever Fido caught Danny's fingers, Danny would snatch up the shade, and start petting and cuddling them to his chest while Fido would let out whistles of delight. Peter was starting to wonder if Fido's and Danny's tendencies for physical affection were ghost related. He remembered Danny saying something about how shades communicated by phasing through each other and reading off each other's emotions, but now that Danny was here all the time, Peter was starting to doubt it was just a shade thing.

Danny was oddly affectionate for teenager, bumping shoulders and elbows with him or Wade all the time, snuggling with Fido, and never turning down a high five or fist-bump. And there were other things too that Peter noticed in the days Danny had been cooped up in his apartment since he had first gotten here. The first was that Danny liked to hover or float, sometimes unintentionally. If he was happy or excited, Danny would drift a few centimeters off the ground before he would notice and hastily come down. The second was that if he was in his ghost form, Danny preferred to have a ghostly tail. He would let his legs form at first, but more often then not they would morph together into a tail. The third was that Danny _liked_ to train with his powers, a lot. This surprised and worried Peter at first, anxious that Danny might use up his ectoplasm stash too quickly. Danny reassured him multiple times that he wasn't even using half as much power as he normally did. Peter conceded, realizing that Danny was probably used to patrolling with his powers for hours at a time back home. He guessed Danny might be getting a little bored in his apartment, and also relieved he could use his powers so freely without having to worry about keeping his identity secret.

The fourth thing Peter really should have seen coming, considering what had happened the first and second time he met Danny face to face. Danny had a horrible sense of humor that rivaled Wade's and a mischievous streak a mile wide. Since Wade's supposed betrayal from the other day, Danny was taking every chance he had at pranking him. Whether it be sitting just right so that his eyes glowed with eye shine, popping his head out of walls, or turning invisible while covered in a bed sheet, Danny took great delight at scaring the absolute crap out of Wade as payback. It was hilarious to watch, especially sbecause Danny made sure he never went too far. He probably should have kept Danny's humor in mind when he mentioned Mr. Stark.

* * *

"Hey Peter," Danny called out from the living room ten minutes after his "training" with Fido, and Peter paused before walking over to the kitchen doorway and leaning his head out. Danny was laying on his back on the floor behind the sofa, his palms flat on the floor and legs lifted in the air. One of his legs was tipped forward so that it was nearly touching Danny's face, and the other straight as he balanced a black crown that was surrounded by green wispy fire while Fido was laying on the floor in a loose puddle next to Danny's head, puffing slightly in exhaustion from training.

"Um," Peter hesitated while he blinked as Danny continued to balance the crown on his foot, "Did you need something Danny?"

"Do you think Iron Man believes in ghosts?" Danny asked randomly, and Peter tilted his head in confusion.

"Where did that question come from?" Peter countered, and Danny shrugged his shoulders, his leg wavering as the crown tilted.

"Just wondering, I guess," Danny answered as he corrected his leg's position. "I'm kinda bored." Peter snorted before turning back into the kitchen and continued to prepare his lunch. His class started at nine in the morning, and he would be staying there until the afternoon before he started patrol. Peter almost wished he could bring Danny with him, but he didn't think it would help with Danny's boredom.

"Maybe," Peter said as he finished making his lunch and started to put it in his bag, "Mr. Stark is a bit like me. He likes to see proof and hard facts before he believes in something. And by the way, what's with the crown?"

"I'm not really sure," Danny responded as he willed away the crown, lowering his legs and laying spread eagle on the floor. "It's been showing up ever since I beat this ghost a while ago. I've been trying to learn how to make it appear and disappear. It's probably nothing." Danny blinked as he realized something. "Wait a second, you know Iron Man!? Like, _know_ him, know him?" Peter laughed, pulling his water bottle out of the side pocket of his bag and filling the it with water from the kitchen tap.

"He kinda helped me get started with this hero gig," Peter answered. It was quiet for a moment as Peter tidied up the kitchen, gathering his notebooks and putting them in his bag.

"What's he like?" Danny asked curiously, changing out of his Phantom form and walking into the kitchen with Fido in his arms. Peter snorted a chuckle.

"Eccentric," Peter retorted instantly, smiling fondly while he paused and leaned against the kitchen counter with his bag at his feet, "A total smart-aleck, and confident. But he's probably the most intelligent person I've ever met, and he's got a big heart no matter how much he likes to pretend otherwise." Danny smiled back at him, moving Fido to sit on his shoulders as he meandered into the kitchen to grab a bowl and some cereal.

"He's a bit like you, huh? So would he act like a total nerd? You were a little gobsmacked when you first saw me," Danny snickered as he filled his bowl and grabbed a spoon. Peter rolled his eyes and snatched his bag before ruffling Danny's hair as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Who knows," Peter laughed over his shoulder as he made his way to the door, trying to imagine introducing Danny to Mr. Stark. "Sounds like a hypothesis that needs testing to me."

He closed the door too quickly to see Danny's eyes flash green in delight or the sly smile that stretched his face.

* * *

Danny zipped gleefully over New York City towards the Avenger's Tower- or he guessed the Stark Industries Tower now - in Midtown Manhattan, barely feeling the strain of using his powers with the ectoplasm capsule around his neck, or the chill of the Autumn weather in his ghost form. Feeling like a weight had been lifted off his core, he yelled delightedly as he flew invisibly in loops and let himself free fall between skyscrapers before catching himself. Flying hadn't felt this _freeing_ in such a long time! After he gained altitude from his free fall, he tried to fly faster towards the Tower. He knew Peter would be gone for most of the day, Wade wouldn't be back at the apartment for a couple more hours since he left late last night, and Fido would be too occupied from recharging with his own little ectoplasm capsule that he wouldn't try and follow Danny. That would give him plenty of time to pop in for a "hello". That was one thing from his last trip to New York that Danny was a little disappointed in himself for. He had promised Tucker last time that he would get picture of the Tower, but with everything that had happened and his parents subsequently cutting the trip short, he had never managed it. Tucker had understood, but Danny still felt bad about it. Hopefully, this plan would make up for it. All he had to do was sneak in, find a lab and snap a few pictures, secretly pose next to some experiments, and record some videos of jump scaring a couple employees. And if one happened to be of Mr. Stark, well... that would be his secret!

~~(A part of Danny knew he really shouldn't be acting like this was a vacation, but if he had to think one more time about his parents and the fact _that they hadn't gotten back to Mr. Murdock and Mr. Nelson_ _yet_ , he was gonna throw up.)~~

He made it to the tower just under thirty-five minutes, hovering level with the upper floors about a hundred yards away to snap a quick aerial view before zooming over to the very top of the tower, pausing as he floated a few feet above the center of the building. He didn't know which floors the labs would be on, but he figured if he started from the top and worked his way down, he would find them eventually. Danny slipped into intangibility and let gravity do the work as he phased feet first through the roof, making sure his invisibility was tucked tightly around him. He carefully went through each floor at a leisured pace and kept he eyes on his feet, using his periphery to deduce if he was in a lab or not; nothing like accidentally phasing through a occupied bathroom to make you keep your eyes averted. He made it through a quarter of the building before he phased into a brightly lit room with with linoleum tiles, and lifted his face as he took a quick scan before he froze and his jaw dropped.

Danny was hovering in the middle of the most sophisticated lab he had ever seen, launching his parents lab in their basement out of the park and into deep space. Pits and pieces of unfinished projects were littered over tables that dotted the room, and handheld soldering tools were at each station in varying sizes. Electrical cables hung down in retractable dispensers from outlets in the ceiling, one for each desk, while holographic screens showed schematics for complicated inventions. Various tool shelves lined one of the walls, some cabinets and drawers open and missing a few tools that were left with the projects on their tables. In the corner of the room next to the tool cabinets was a shelf for various sheets of metal, cables, wires, and a 3D printer as well as a table router and metal press. Along one section of the lab were tall glass cabinets that contained bottles of chemicals, chemistry sets, and personal protection equipment like lab coats, various goggles and eye shields, and an assortment of different types of gloves.

Next to the chemical cabinet was a chemical hood that was reinforced with a snap lock next to a sink and glass drying wrack. The corner of the room that was farthest from the chemical cabinets was sectioned off in bright yellow and black caution tape, various tubs labeled for chemical waste and a broken glass bin. In the corner closest to the door was an emergency eyewash and body wash station with a first aid kit, a fire blanket, and a fire extinguisher clearly labeled. The entire last free wall of the room was a giant white board that had a magnetic tray of marks and erasers stuck in the middle. The wall was littered in equations and sketched out designs, some sectioned off in bright pink with the words "DO NOT ERASE!!!". Sort of off kilter to the middle of the room was a raised platform that housed the bottom half of some sort of exosuit, surrounded by gutted wires, computer chips, and sections of molded plastic. Danny started to float over to it curiously when a voice called out.

"Unknown entity detected. You are unauthorized to enter this lab; please identify yourself," the accented female voice stated, and Danny jolted, startling so badly he dropped his intangibility and invisibility.

"Holy shit!" Danny yelled as he dashed behind the nearest table, looking wildly for a person to go with the voice. He peaked over the table and did another quick scan of the room but couldn't find anyone. "Hello?" He called out.

"Hello," She responded, and Danny flinched again. "You are unauthorized to enter this lab; please identify yourself." Danny slowly stood up from behind the table, turning in circles as he walked back to the center of the room, looking for cameras in the ceiling, but couldn't find any.

"Um-, my name is Danny. Danny Phantom," Danny answered. "Who are you?" There was a pause before she calmly responded.

"I am Friday," She introduced, and Danny realized her voice was coming from all around the room. He felt a chill start to trickle down his spine.

"And, um-," Danny stammered, gulping past the knot in his throat, "Where are you, Miss Friday?"

"I am everywhere," Friday replied, and the chill in Danny's back turning into a shudder.

Holy shit. _Holy shit_. Was... Was the SI Tower being _haunted_ by a ghost? But why didn't his ghost sense go off!? The only time it didn't go off was when he was in the ghost zone or-, _or if he was in a ghost's lair_. Danny felt his core thrum anxiously as his hair stood on end. Ghost lairs weren't just homes for ghosts, they were _extensions_ of the ghosts' themselves. To enter another ghost's lair uninvited or without an extended invitation, even by accident, wasn't just rude - it was beyond unthinkable. Even the most peaceful ghosts got testy when their lairs were invaded. It was why most specters who had their lairs anchored in the human world were so violent; they were just protecting themselves. And if Friday based her lair in one of the most technologically advanced places on the planet, she had to be like Technus - a tech obsessed ghost. And he was in a room surrounded by tech.

_I have to get out of here_ , Danny thought wildly.

"Well, Miss Friday," Danny stuttered as he shakily started to hover towards the ceiling, "I obviously have made a huge mistake and I'm really, _really_ sorry. So how about I just go on my way and you'll never see me again."

"Or you could tell me what you're doing in my lab," A new voiced deadpanned and Danny yelped as he dropped back down, bolting to another table to hide behind. He slowly raised his head above the desk and looked towards the door, where _Tony effing Stark_ was standing in the door frame, one arm raised and encased in an active Iron Man gauntlet.

"Good morning Mr. Stark," Friday chirped, and Danny cringed.

"Hey, Friday," Mr. Stark acknowledged, tilting his wrist down to deactivate the gauntlet's repulsor while keeping his arm raised and aimed at Danny. "Care to tell me how our super-powered guest managed to get into one of my highly secure, personal R&D labs?"

"Well he didn't walk through the front door, Boss," Friday intoned, and Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. "Thermosensors indicate he phased through the roof and continued through multiple floors before stopping here. I've sent the readings to your phone."

"Thanks Fri," Mr. Stark praised as he reached with his unoccupied hand into his pocket and pulled out a thin holographic phone. Mr. Stark briefly looked at the readings before flipping the phone around and made a motion like he was tapping something in the air. Danny's jaw dropped as the readings were instantly projected into the air as a hologram, and Danny watched from behind the desk as a schematic of the top portion of the build was displayed along with the recording of himself in the lab as he dropped his invisibility.

"Looks like your body temperature is ten degrees below average, that's interesting," Mr. Stark commented absently, putting his phone back in his pocket and zooming in on the video recordings. "And not only can you phase through walls, you can turn invisible too, that's handy."

"I-, um-, thank you?" Danny sputtered, feeling incredibly confused with a case of whiplash. How was Mr. Stark so _chill_ with this!? Did he not realize Friday was a ghost? Did he already know? What the _hell_ was going on!?

"Still doesn't answer my question, kid," Mr. Stark stated seriously as he waved the hologram away with his free hand, staring pointedly at Danny. Danny's core pulsed uncomfortably.

"Um, well, y'see-, that's actually a really funny story," Danny stuttered as he hunkered further down behind the desk.

"He refers to himself as Danny Phantom," Friday interjected, slightly amused. "Facial recognition from the Sherlock Protocol has identified him in twenty online videos and news station broadcasts, and he's been referenced in over a hundred social media posts. Would you like me to show you the top ten results, Boss?"

"Danny Phantom? Oh, for the love of Christ," Mr. Stark sighed, dropping the gauntlet aimed at Danny and rubbing at his eyes. "Friday, cease the Sherlock Protocol and GTFO Protocol, The Mechanic Override: authorization code Alpha-Four-Eight-Delta-Nine-Two-Beta-Elipson. Send a message to the security team that everything is fine." Danny blinked as slowly started to rise from behind the desk.

"Voice recognition accepted," Friday said. "Authorization key acknowledged. What type of message would you like me to send to security?"

"I don't know," Mr. Stark moaned petulantly as he brought his free hand to the gauntlet and pressed something in the inner workings, making the gauntlet power down and open at seam, freeing Mr. Stark's other hand. "Tell them it's a personal matter or something. That's not too crazy, right?"

"Somehow, I doubt that will reassure them," Friday retorted and Mr. Stark threw his hands out to his sides in mock annoyance as he pouted.

"Can you believe this, kid," Mr. Stark griped at Danny while he pointed at the ceiling. "The level of sass I am getting - in my own lab, no less!"

"Mr. Stark," Danny interrupted as he cautiously ambled in front of the desk, "What's happening right now? Because I'm-, I'm really confused." Mr. Stark narrowed his eyes in thought as he tilted his head slightly while he sauntered into the room, closing the door behind him and taking a few steps towards Danny.

"You're Peter's ghostling, right? Spider Man's mentee? Any of this ringing a few bells?" Mr. Stark inquired as he twirled one of his index fingers in a circle by his head. Danny blinked as the neurons in his brain refused to fire.

"Yeah-," Danny started, but Mr. Stark interrupted him with a clap of his hands.

"Perfect," Mr. Stark interjected, striding to one of the tables opposite of Danny and resting his hip against it, folding his arms across his chest. "Then we're all on the same page. Friday, be a dear and call Pete, would you?" Danny's core stuttered.

"Wait, Mr. Stark-," Danny tried, taking a hasty half step forward.

"Sure thing," Friday replied over Danny, "Calling Spiderling." The dial tone echoed loudly in the room for two rings before Peter picked up.

"Um-," Peter began dubiously, "What's up Mr. Stark?"

"Hey Pete," Mr. Stark intoned cheerfully, "You do know I'm retired, right?" Before Peter could answer, Mr. Stark promptly continued, "That was a question of the rhetorical variety, of course you know I'm retired. Here's the thing Pete, I was having just the most wonderful morning today. Woke up early enough for a work out, I was on time for my brunch date with Pepper-,"

"Boss, you slept through your alarm twice, and I had to remind you of your date with Mrs. Potts five times," Friday reminded Mr. Stark, and Danny heard Peter stifle a laugh on the line while he brought his hand up to hide his smile.

"Details," Mr. Stark said as he made a waving motion with one of his hands. "Point is, I'm not expecting anything major to happen today. So can you explain to me why there is an Enhanced, ghostly teenager with white hair in my lab?" There was a long pause and Danny's core hummed anxiously as he swallowed.

"Am I one speaker?" Peter asked, he tone even.

"Yep," Mr. Stark answered gleefully.

"Danny?" Peter called out desperately. "This is a joke, right? _You're not actually at Mr. Stark's lab, right?_ "

"In my defense," Danny's replied as he wrung his hands, his brain bypassing the filter over his mouth, "I'm a teenager, and I swear this plan was so much better in my head."

"Oh my God," Peter whispered, before he started yelling in disbelief. " _OH MY GOD, DANNY WHAT THE FUCK!?_ What the hell are you doing there!?"

"Testing a hypothesis," Danny tried to laugh but it came out stilted. There was a pause as Peter connected the dots in his head.

"Danny, I was joking! That was a joke!" Peter cried brokenly, and Danny tried to reassure him.

"I mean, it's only screwing around if you don't keep a record of your findings," Danny sputtered hastily, "And I was playing on recording it, so..."

"Ha!" Mr. Stark laughed as he threw his head back while Peter moaned unintelligibly into the phone. "He's got you there, Pete."

"Do not encourage him!" Peter yelped before he groaned, "This is a disaster. I have a test at the end of class today, I can't skip. _Fuck,_ what am I gonna to do?"

"Pete, relax," Mr. Stark consoled soothingly. "Go, take your test. I can keep an eye on your kid for you. I needed an excuse to stay in the lab today, anyway. Shouldn't be to hard to keep a super-powered teenage entertained in one of the most advanced labs in the world. I mean, I managed to do it with you, right?" Peter sputtered.

"Mr. Stark," Peter squawked. "You are enjoying this _way_ too much."

"Absolutely," Mr. Stark chuckled, "Hundred-ten percent. Talk to you later, Pete. Friday, end call." The tone clicked as the call disconnected, and Danny grinned hesitantly at him. Mr. Stark pushed himself off the desk and walked towards Danny, holding his hand out.

"Introductions," Mr. Stark said, and Danny shook his hand. "Tony Stark: Billionaire, Former Playboy, Philanthropist, and retired Avenger."

"Danny Phantom," Danny replied, "Small time hero and ghost hunter."

"And of course, you've met my wonderful AI, Friday," Mr. Stark continued, quirking his lips in a small grin before letting go of Danny's hand and gesturing towards the ceiling.

"Hello, Danny," Friday greeted politely. Danny's brain buffered for a moment as everything started to come together.

"I'm sorry," Danny answered incredulously, "Your what now?"

* * *

Tony watched as Phantom sat hunched over a one of the less cluttered desks with his head in his hands and elbows on the table, the perfect picture of a mortified teenager as the tips of his ears and neck burned green. Phantom let out another moan of embarrassment and Tony chuckled as he reviewed the readings Friday had collected on their newest guest on one of the holographic computer screens.

"No, stop," Phantom mumbled into his hands. "Let me wallow in my misery. I'm an idiot. If I wasn't a C+ student, I would have figured it out a lot quicker." Tony snorted.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Tony told him, "Friday's existence isn't exactly known to the public." He watched through the screen as Phantom raised his head, still glowing green but trying to brush off his embarrassment. Phantom phased through the desk as he did a little hop and floated lackadaisically in the air a few feet above the floor, orientating himself so that he was laying on his back with his ankles crossed and his arms cushioning his head.

"How come?" Phantom inquired, unaware of Tony's fascinated stare.

"What can I say," Tony countered, flicking his fingers across the screen to bring up the past readings they had gotten off the Mind Stone to compare with Phantom's, anxiously wondering if they were in anyway similar. "She's my special girl."

"Thank you for the flattery, Mr. Stark," Friday stated, "But you still have to go to the board meeting today at three this afternoon."

"Damn it," Tony muttered sullenly and Phantom laughed.

"She's definitely special," Phantom agreed before he leaned his head back to look at Tony. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're just-," Tony began, gesturing with his hands, "Floating there. You're completely ignoring the laws of Newtonian Physics - how the hell are you doing that?"

"Don't the Avengers have a someone who can fly?" Phantom asked as he sat up and criss crossed his legs.

"Vision's flight is like telekinesis," Tony stated as he leaned back in his chair, "But you fly as if gravity doesn't exist - which is impossible. And I've seen a lot of impossible shit." Phantom grinned cheekily before his smile dimmed and he turned to hover over another desk as he inspected the unfinished circuit boards, hiding his face from few.

"I think it's a density thing with my ghost core," Phantom declared softly, and Tony blinked at his change in mood. "My-, I mean, the Fenton's have written a couple papers about it. You could-, you should read them, if your interested."

The paranoid part of Tony's brain pinged with interest over the minor slip. Peter had mentioned a few times that he felt that Phantom was having a hard time, particularly with his parents. Tony knew if he really looked into it, he could probably discover Phantom's identity easily ~~(he figured Peter's out just by analyzing YouTube videos for God's sake. And he could practically _see_ the connections in his head, all he had to do was _dig a little deeper)_~~ , but Peter seemed pretty insistent that it was under control. One thing Tony had realized as he was mentoring Peter was that he was fiercely independent, and that made it extremely hard to give him advice about being hero. After the whole Vulture fiasco, he learned that the best way to mentor Peter was to loosen the reins a little and be casual about it. If Peter ended up asking for help, that was when Tony gave him his undivided attention. So if Peter was insisting that he had it under control, then Tony would just have to let his curiosity remain unsatiated.

But that didn't mean he couldn't study Phantom's powers.

"Bring the papers up for me, Fri," Tony requested, pushing his rolling chair to another computer and clearing the screen while Phantom fluttered between desks, looking over the unfinished projects. Friday brought up few titles to the screen, and he selected the first one that caught his eye; _The effect of temperature and energy on the density of_ _ectoplasm_. Tony had looked briefly into ectoplasm when the first papers about it's properties came to light; he had hoped he could develop it as an alternate, environmentally green energy source. Ultimately, he decided the compound was too unstable and too much of a health hazard to try and use in a populated area like NYC, so he had put most of his time and effort into advancing the arch rector.

Tony quickly read through the first paper, focusing more on the introduction and conclusion before skimming over the materials and methods. As he began the second paper, he noticed the Fenton's had very limited variables for their experiments, mostly focusing on electrical inputs and temperature differentials. It would be interesting to see how Phantom's energy would read in a radiation scan as well as a infrared scan, maybe even get an x-ray or two, and compare them with readings from Wanda's and Vision's powers. Maybe he could...

"Hey Phantom," Tony called out, rolling the chair back to the original desk, "Mind if I test your powers a little bit?" Phantom was instantly on guard, zipping over to place himself behind the new leg braces Tony was attempting to make as he turned intangible, his eyes illuminating ominously.

"What kind of tests?" Phantom questioned suspiciously with his arms at the ready, and Tony put his hands up in surrender. _Jeez Pete,_ Tony thought, _Thanks for letting me know your kid is as paranoid as I am._

"Just some infrared and Geiger readings," Tony reassured calmly, "An x-ray if your feeling up to it. All you'll have to do is stand-, well, float there and look pretty. Maybe go invisible once or twice. Friday will take care of the rest - no invasive or pointy objects required, I promise." Phantom's eyes slowly started to return to normal as he returned to being tangible.

"I-, I don't know about the x-ray, but everything else sounds fine," Phantom conceded as he returned to a more relaxed posture. Tony lowered his own hands and returned to the computer, pulling up the command screen and bringing the sensors in the lab online.

"You heard the kid, Friday," Tony said as he punched in the last key. "Scan away."

"Initiating infrared and Geiger scans," Friday confirmed, and Phantom flinched slightly before he started to float around. Phantom curled in on himself and Tony observed his legs morphing together into a wisp as he hovered over the leg braces. For a moment Tony thought Phantom would reach out to touch them, but bit back a protective reprimand when he saw that Phantom had tucked his arms close to his chest and seemed content to hover over and observe them.

"What are these for?" Phantom asked curiously, "They look like part of an exosuit." Tony wheeled himself over to platform and leaned back in his chair.

"They're robotic leg braces," Tony explained, his tone strained as he crossed his arms over his chest, "They're designed to help patients with partial paralysis walk again. I'm-, reworking the design, for a friend." Phantom glanced over in surprise before he went back to examining the braces.

"What are all the electrodes for?" Phantom questioned, and Tony was grateful for his tactfulness.

"They're supposed to stimulate the leg muscles to prevent atrophy while they're worn," Tony clarified, "Unfortunately, I'm having trouble generating the correct electrical signals that would simulate walking." It was probably the most frustrating part of the project; Dr. Cho could only help him so much when she had her own projects to run, and there was just something about human anatomy that didn't click for him. Phantom hummed in acknowledgement as he leaned over the computer that showed the brace schematics.

"Have you ever thought of using ectoplasm?" Phantom countered, and Tony blinked. _Why would he consider using ectoplasm?_ Phantom must have caught his look because he touched down to the ground, his legs reforming under him, and started gesturing with is hands. "Low level, ambient ectoplasm is really good at picking up and detecting nerve signals; it's the basis for ghost formation. I could show you the article-, I mean, if you don't mind?" Tony wheeled his chair out of the way of the first computer and gestured at it with his head. Phantom shuffled over cautiously and opened an internet browser, typing in the search bar and scrolling down before finding the right journal article. He stepped away from the computer to allow Tony access to the screen so he could the article _Intrinsic properties of ectoplasm and the formation of ectoentities,_ another paper written by the Fentons.

As Tony began reading over the article, Phantom went back to hovering in the air on his back, only this time he seemed to be more interested in Friday than the unfinished projects littering the workshop. He started asking her questions and some of them were-, not necessarily wrong, but worded oddly in the context for an AI ("Miss Friday, how old are you? Do you like working for Mr. Stark? Do you have siblings? What are they like?"). At some point, Tony stopped reading the research paper and watched Phantom converses with Friday, trying to anticipate how her coding would answer or even if it could. Eventually, Phantom saw his bemused look and turned his attention back to Tony.

"What?" Phantom questioned as he sat up.

"I've just never seen anyone so interested in her-, in any of my AI's before," Tony remarked. Most of the people who knew of his AI's like the ex-Avengers treated them like tools. Even Pepper, Bruce, and Rhodey, who treated both Friday and Jarvis with much more respect, didn't see them the same way Tony did. To Tony, his AI's, his suits, even the disaster twins Dum-e and U were like his children-, they were his babies, something he created out of love with the purpose of helping in mind. The only person who had ever come close was Peter, who told him multiple times - even to this day - how much he adored Karen. But even Peter never showed this much genuine interest in the AI itself.

"She's just-, she's really human," Phantom stated, and Tony smiled to himself.

"Yeah," Tony affirmed, moving his attention back to the screen to pick up where he left off. "She really is." There was a brief silence as before Phantom spoke again.

"Mr. Stark," Phantom piped up, "Do you think AI's can turn into ghosts?" Tony blinked in surprised as he leaned in the chair and thought about the question seriously, trying to incorporate his new found knowledge of ectoentities into his answer.

"Don't think so," Tony replied, and Phantom turned to him in shock. "Based on the papers you've shown me, ectoplasm only mimics nerve impulses and it's the culmination of multiple nerve impulses that leads to the formation of an ectoentity. AI's are strings of code, programs designed to learn and improve themselves over time. There aren't nerves to mimic off of."

"But-," Phantom stammered as he floated above Tony, "But isn't DNA just a strings of code? Don't we learn based off of experiences? If you put an AI into a machine, that would give off signals-, sure, maybe not anything liker nerve impulses, but some type of electromagnetic disturbance, right? Wouldn't that be enough?"

"Well, shit, I'll give you that. Or maybe you could make a ghost into an AI?" Tony pondered, then leaned his head back and called out, "What do you think Friday? You want to be a ghost?"

"I think I'm happy as I am, Boss," Friday answered primly.

"It's not so bad being a ghost, Miss Friday," Phantom exclaimed eagerly. "You can fly, and turn invisible-, you could even stay with Mr. Stark! And you would get to feel things and see things! Wouldn't that be awesome-!" Tony rolled his eyes, moving to another station to try and finish another project as Phantom tried to convince Friday the benefits of becoming a ghost.

* * *

Peter dashed along the sidewalk with his backpack slapping his shoulder with every step, slipping through gaps between crowds and around people as he raced to the SI Tower, grateful that his campus was close enough that he could justify running there. He had considered donning his suit and using his webs to get there quicker, but he didn't want the attention it would bring if Spider Man was seen visiting the retired hero. As Peter kept a steady pace towards the building, a small part of him started to get a little _frustrated_. Why the hell did Danny think a stunt like this was okay!? A bigger part of him though - a much bigger part of him - was an anxious wreck.

Why hadn't Danny just told him he was planning on going out? Did-, did Danny not trust him or Wade enough? Or was it his parents? What if the reason the Fentons hadn't gotten back to Matt and Foggy yet was because they were planning to track Danny down? Did Danny mention if his parents had built something like that the last time he was here? What if Danny's excursion across New York had attracted their attention? What if they were planning an ambush to take Danny by surprise? What if they _caught him_ and tried to deactivate Danny's powers? _Holy shit_ , was this what it was like for Aunt May when she first found out about his alter ego? This sucked! Peter realized most of the anxieties forming in his head were a little irrational, but it didn't stop the gut wrenching fear at the thought of Danny slipping through his fingers. By the time Peter was a block away from the Tower, he felt like he was one step away from a nervous breakdown. He hoped to God that Tony had talked to his secretary or security or _someone_ so he could get past the lobby, otherwise he was crawling up the side of the building, attention be damned.

Peter burst through the doors of SI, drawing a bit of attention from some people milling in the lobby as he bolted to the welcoming desk. The secretary, who Peter recognized from his days as an intern, smiled up at him patiently as he nearly slammed into the table.

"Hello Peter," She greeted, "What can I do for you today?"

"Hi-," Peter wracked his brain, trying to remember her name. Maggie! That was it! "Maggie, I have a meeting with Mr. Stark?" For a second he thought she would frown and say that there wasn't anything scheduled, but she just smiled and slid a guest badge across the desk.

"Mr. Stark's been expecting you, Peter," Maggie assured him. "He's on the fifty-third floor in R&D workshop three."

"Thanks!" Peter acknowledge as he grabbed the badge and clipped it on as he headed over towards security. They gave Peter a brief pat down, obviously expecting him as well when they waved him through easily. He rushed to the elevator and pressed the button repeatedly as he waited. When the elevator door opened, a small crowd of people spilled out and he slipped past the last of them with a quiet "Excuse me," before he jammed the button for the fifty-third floor. Once the elevator reached the right floor, he nearly pried the doors open and walked briskly to another security check point so they could scan him into the labs. As soon as he was through, he ran down towards the end of the hall, skidding to a stop in front of the correct door and slipping inside the lab. Danny was hovering over one of the project stations as Mr. Stark sketched additional designs on a schematic with the holographic computer.

"It would totally work!" Danny argued fiercely, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Okay, say it does work - and I'm not saying it would," Mr. Stark disputed, raising his hand and pointing a stylus at Danny, "How am I supposed to keep this stuff cold. The papers you showed me recommend that this stuff stay at sixty-five degrees F in order to be stable. So not only do I have to integrate a filter system and a cooling system, but I would also have to create a reliable fail-safe that prevents the whole thing from going 'boom'. Sounds like a whole lot of effort for not a lot of payoff." Danny paused before leaning back in the air.

"Sounds to me like you just can't do it," Danny commented smugly, and Mr. Stark froze before he turned to him sharply.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Stark replied sharply. "What did you just say?"

"I said, 'Sounds to me like you just can't do it,'" Danny repeated. "Doesn't it sound like he can't do it, Friday?"

"He does seem to be making quite a lot of excuses," Friday echoed, and Mr. Stark threw his hands up in the air indignantly.

"You-," Mr. Stark grunted, "You're trying to manipulate me, you sneaky little shit."

"I would never!" Danny mocked.

The anxiety Peter had been feeling for most of the day started to melt away as he saw how lively and energetic Danny was being with Mr. Stark. Unfortunately, that made room for the anger to bubble forth.

"Danny Phantom!" Peter hollered as he stomped across the room, Danny jolting so hard he fell towards the floor and Mr. Stark slammed his knees against the desk. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in!?" Danny hunched his shoulders and looked properly chastised as he scuffed one of his shoes on the floor. Before either of them could say a word, Peter continued. "You're grounded," Peter stated, and Danny looked at him in astonishment.

"Peter-," Danny tried to placate, but Peter wasn't having it.

"Ah-bup-bup! No! I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but you're grounded!" Peter persisted, and Danny nodded glumly. Peter sighed, and gestured towards the door. "We'll talk about this later. Can you please wait in the hall for a second while I talk to Mr. Stark?" Danny nodded again before he turned to Mr. Stark.

"Thanks for-, well, thanks for the cool afternoon, I guess," Danny said while they shook hands.

"It was cool to meet you, ghostling," Mr. Stark returned. "But maybe next time, don't get caught sneaking into my lab, yeah?" Danny grinned weakly as he walked backwards to the door with his hands crossed behind his head.

"If you don't want me in your lab," Danny sassed, "You gotta keep me out." Then he deliberately phased through the wall into the hallway. Peter sighed, rubbing his fingers at his temples while Mr. Stark huffed a small laugh and leaned against the desk.

"You found a good one, kid," Mr. Stark commented, "Don't be too hard on him, okay?"

"Stop," Peter demanded, "Just don't, okay? Not when you don't know the whole story." Mr. Stark frowned at him before crossing his arms.

"Look, Pete, you're way too old for me to be telling you how to do things-, so can I give you a piece of advice instead?" Mr. Stark requested.

"All right," Peter sighed quietly.

"The whole tough love thing, Pete?" Mr. Stark remarked. "It's absolute shit. One of my biggest regrets was using that tactic on you - and it's one that I'm still sorry for. And the reason it was such a shitty thing to do was because I wasn't honest with you. If I had been upfront from the start, a lot of that shit with the Toomes wouldn't have happened. So just-, talk with him, okay?" Peter took a deep breath and held it in before he let it out slowly.

"I know," Peter resolved, "Thanks for keeping an eye on him."

* * *

Tony sighed quietly as Peter exited the workshop, sitting back into the wheelie chair and cleaning up the newer schematic on the computer. He hoped everything worked itself out for Peter's sake; he seemed really attached to the kid.

"Boss," Friday inquired, "Would you like to see the results of the infrared and Geiger scans?" Tony blinked before he did a quick save on the schematic and cleared the computer screen. He had forgotten about that.

"Go ahead and bring them up for me, Fri," Tony requested as he leaned back in the chair.

Two graphs and two paused recordings came on the screen, one in infrared and one normal. The first graph showed Phantom's average body temperature over time. It hovered around eighty-eight degrees F for most of the duration of Phantom's stay, but there were about six spikes and four valleys in temperature at random intervals. Tony frowned as he touched the graph and highlighted one of the temperature spikes, the infrared and normal recordings playing a small clip associated with the time stamp on the graph. His frown deepened when he saw the temperature spike was centered around Phantom's chest in the infrared scan, reaching around a hundred degrees F, while the normal recording showed nothing that could have caused it; no intangibility, or invisibility, just Phantom floating around the lab. He check the rest of the spikes and valleys, finding similar results. Was this normal for Phantom? It didn't seem like it was causing him discomfort... He went to the other graph next, this one showing Phantom's Geiger readings over time. Tony's jaw dropped as he stood up from his chair.

"What the hell?" He whispered. For the majority of the time, the Geiger readings were average, coming in around point-three millisieverts; normal background radiation. But around the times that Phantom's temperature deviated, it jumped up to _sixteen_ millisieverts, which was the dose of a CT heart scan. The bursts lasted less than five seconds; nothing dangerous. But the fact they were coming from the kid...

"Friday, run another Geiger scan for any residual radiation in the room," Tony requested.

"Scan initiated," Friday stated and paused briefly, "No residual radiation detected."

"Nothing?" Tony echoed as he sat back down. "How the hell is that possible? Friday, get a copy of all the Fentons' research on ectoplasm and put it in a new research folder, along with Phantom's readings."

"What would you like the new folder to be called, Boss?" Friday asked.

"Call it: 'Mystery From the Other Side'," Tony said.

* * *

Danny followed Peter out of SI silently, shivering in the fall chill now that he was in his normal form. Peter shrugged off his backpack and dug out navy blue sweater, pushing it into Danny's arms.

"You can wear this," Peter told him, and Danny pulled the sweater over his head, letting the oversized sleeves fall over the edge of his fingers to keep them warm. Peter tossed his bag over his shoulder, pulling Danny underneath his arm to help keep him warm. They walked wordlessly away from SI and at first Danny thought they were heading to the subway, but Peter walked past the entrance and guided him to a small cafe a couple blocks away instead. Once they were inside, Peter nudged him over to an empty booth, and Danny sat down and rested his head on his arms dejectedly while Peter stood in line to order food. Ten minutes later Peter returned with a tray of food; two bowls of what smelled like clam chowder, two cans of soda, four thick slices of fresh bread, two apples, and two flaky, glazed pastries. Danny blinked at the amount as Peter divvied up the food.

"Go ahead," Peter gestured at their meal, "I-, we can talk, while we eat."

"Okay," Danny nodded as he reached for a slice of bread and dipped it in the soup, moaning and tapping his feet slightly at how good it tasted. Peter grinned at him before he dipped his spoon into his own bowl and swallowed a healthy mouthful. They ate quietly for a bit, both of them half way done with their soups before Peter spoke.

"Danny," Peter began, taking a swig of his soda, "Can you let me explain why I was mad at you?" Danny nodded hesitantly, shredding his remaining slice of bread and dropping it into his bowl. Peter took a breath. "First off, I'm sorry I yelled at you; I shouldn't have done that. It was uncalled for. Second, I'm not mad that you went out of the apartment - I'm actually glad you feel comfortable enough to so. I'm mad that you didn't tell me or Wade where you were going." Danny stared at him in surprise.

"So, if I told you I was going to prank Mr. Stark, you would have just-," Danny made a shooing motion with his hand, "Let me do it." Peter shrugged a little self consciously.

"Probably," Peter returned, taking a bite out of his apple. "You have a good grasp on people's limits. But we're getting off topic - Danny, when I got that call from Mr. Stark, I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack. I kept getting these paranoid thoughts that your parents would snatch you up or something. The thought that you might have been taken or hurt and I wouldn't even know or have any idea where you were really scared me." Danny's face fell, and he hunched over the table, ripping apart his paper napkin guiltily.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Danny told him, nervously taking a sip of his own soda. "I'm not used to letting other people know where I am all the tome. As long as I went to school and then came home before curfew, my parents didn't really care where I was or who I was with. And most of the time I was hanging out or patrolling with my friends, so I never needed to let them know where I was. Even the last time I was here, I didn't have to give them too many details. As long as I checked in with them throughout the day, they were fine with whatever I was doing."

"Again, I don't mind that you want to get out of the apartment," Peter reassured him before taking another sip of his drink. "Just let me know when your going out and how long you think you'll be. Wade and I will do it to, okay? We'll all let each other know where we are. Does that sound fair?" Danny nodded a little dazedly.

"Yeah," Danny echoed, fiddling with his spoon before taking a small bite. "Thanks for-, thanks for not blowing up at me."

"Don't thank me yet," Peter murmured, taking another bite of his apple. "You're still grounded." Danny grinned sheepishly.

"I'll clean the apartment?" Danny tried to bargain, and Peter chuckled.

"Are you saying my apartment is dirty? Nice try," Peter retaliated, and ate some more soup. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but part of me thinks you acted out because you were trying to distract yourself from your parents." Danny's grin fell off his face and he started pushing around his soup.

"They still haven't gotten back to Mr. Murdock or Mr. Nelson yet," Danny explained solemnly. "And if I have to keep thinking about it, I'm going to be sick." Peter nodded.

"Yeah, I'll bet," he stated, tapping his chin in thought. "What if you started going on patrol with me?" Danny's jaw dropped.

"That doesn't sound like a punishment," Danny observed, and Peter smirked.

"It is when you have to keep the use of your powers to the minimum for at least three days," Peter specified, and held up a hand when Danny started to protest. "You can still train with Fido in the morning for an hour, or when either Wade and I are in the apartment. But no more pranks - otherwise Wade's going to come home with a crucifix and incense." Danny slapped a hand to his mouth to stop his laughter, before he went back to finishing his soup.

"You're really going to let me patrol with you?" Danny asked after a few moments. Peter shrugged.

"I think you're going a bit stir crazy cooped up at hom-, at my apartment," Peter proclaimed, using his bread slices to soak up the last morsels of his soup before popping them in his mouth. "You mentioned you used to use your powers a lot back in Amity. How long were you usually patrolling for anyways?"

"Usually right after school until curfew; sometimes longer if there was a ghost attack at my school," Danny replied honestly and blinked in surprise when Peter's jaw dropped in shock.

"That's, like what, six hours a day?" Peter tried to clarify, and Danny did some quick math then shook his head.

"No, around eight," Danny corrected, starting in on his apple. "I get out of school at two and my curfew's at ten."

"Eight-, or more!? Danny, that's over forty hours a week!" Peter exclaimed, pushing the rest of his food to the side. "That's like having a full time job!"

"It wasn't like that all the time," Danny tried to comfort him. "If things were slow, my friends would help me train for a couple of hours before we would call it quits." That didn't seem to reassure Peter as much as Danny would have hoped.

"And you used to do this everyday without eating regularly?" Peter asked nervously.

"Ambient ectoplasm," Danny reminded and Peter was quiet as he thought.

"These ghosts you fight," Peter started after a moment, "Are they like Plasmius?" Danny snorted a laugh and sipped more soda.

"Pfft! No way! Most of them are just hard to catch," Danny declared, taking a bite out of his pastry. "Only a few of them really cause trouble, but they're easy to beat when you know their obsessions. Plasmius is an exception, but he's not even the most powerful ghost I've faced. This one time-," and Danny started telling Peter about some of his more exciting stories of saving his town. As Peter listened to the increasingly morbid and worrisome descriptions of the things Danny got into, a trickle of foreboding traveled down his spine. Plasmius had cornered Peter rather easily and managed to do some serious damage to Wade the last he was here, and Danny had won by the skin of his teeth - but he wasn't even the most powerful ghost Danny had faced? If Danny could do that when he was low on power... Just how strong would he be if he was fully charged?

**Author's Note:**

> Ngl, I was laughing so maniacally as I was writing this XD I was expecting this to be way shorter than it was, but Tony once again steals the show.


End file.
